Ever After
by Andromiel
Summary: [Sequel to Dark Eyes. YxY, SxJ, BxR. Discontinued!] College, crazy family members, long distance relationships. Welcome to real life, where 'happily ever after' doesn't come cheap.


Title: Ever After  
  
Author: Andro  
  
Rating: R  
  
Pairings: Y/Y, S/J, B/R.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own, or claim to own the cast of YGO.  
  
Summary: Life isn't a fairytale, and sometimes you have to work for your happily ever after.  
Three years later, real life seems stubborn on keeping everyone apart. Let the tale begin.  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
1. This is a SEQUEL. You can probably read it alone, but it would be much, much better if you read [Dark Eyes] first.  
  
2. Many thanks to everyone who reviewed. All 300+ of you. This is for you. 3  
  
3. This is yaoi. Boy/boy, shounen ai, slash, etc. If you don't like it, I suggest you don't read it.  
  
4. Originally, the sequel to Dark Eyes was supposed to be a relatively long one-shot, taking place some fifteen, twenty years into the future. But thanks to reviews asking for more, I decided to do a real sequel. I hope you enjoy.  
  
*~*~*~  
  


"It's a great day!"  
  


"Uh-huh."

"I think the guy across from us used to be in my History class."

"Uh-huh."  
  
"You're not even paying attention."  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
"Obviously not."  
  
"Hmn?" The young man momentarily looked up and smiled sweetly.  
  
"I'm sorry, did you say something?"  
  
His companion, looking to be around the same in age, sighed and laughed in defeat.  
  
"It's okay. Yugi. It wasn't anything important." He ran a relaxed hand through his hair, and flopped down on one of the beds. The room they were in was almost depressingly small, but it was theirs.  
  
"This is the point where we go all cliché and say, 'I can't believe we're in college!'."  
  
Yugi bounced on the bed opposite to the first one, smiling widely.  
  
"But I can't believe it!" He protested. "It's just so... wow."  
  
"Wow?" Jounochi Katsuya turned on his side to face his friend and laughed.  
  
"Okay, okay, I agree. It's very... wow."  
  
"Oh, shush. It's just... wow."  
  
"I think we've established that." Jou drawled, ducking to avoid the airborne pillow.  
  
"Oy! No attacking the Jou! He is a rare breed!"  
  
"A rare breed of what?" His best friend demanded, sitting up in bed. His outrageous hair style had gotten messed up, laying flat on one side. Yugi made a face, trying to somehow force it back into place.  
  
"Ah, sorry Yugi, I think your five tons of gel are still packed..." Jou snickered, then his face fell. "Oh, freak. We have to unpack, don't we?"  
  
"If we want to use our things? It probably would make things just a little bit easier." Yugi teased, hopping off the bed and grabbing the nearest box. Scribbled in a scrawl across the light tape was "JOU" with large black letters.  
  
"Yours!" He announced, moving on to the next package.  
  
"Mine! I.. er..." Yugi paused. "Uhm. Do you have anything... sharp?"  
  
Jou stopped to think.  
  
"Uhm. No, everything's in the crates."  
  
"... So we're trying to open the boxes with sharp objects that are in the boxes?"  
  
"..."  
  
"..."  
  
"... Awkward silences suck."  
  
Yugi thumped his forehead against the box.  
  
"Okay, okay, I have a plan. How about using the keys?"  
  
"The what?" The small blonde stared at the brunette as if he'd lost his mind. //Well, I'm not sure he ever had it,\\ Yugi contemporized.  
  
"The keys! Hell-ooo..." Jou waved around the new, gleaming keys to their dorm room. "Sure, they're dull, but it's better than nothing."  
  
Joining the other freshman on the floor, Jou could hear the throng of human traffic right outside their door. Yells and laughter mixed in with worried voices created a constant, dull roar. From what he could discern, not everyone was having an easy time of finding where they were supposed to be. Too bad for them.  
  
It took several tries, not to mention quite a while, but eventually Jou's harebrained plan worked... only to find the kitchen utensils were in another box.  
  
*~*~*~  
  
"Your lower left side is your weak point. Next lesson we'll work on that more. I suggest you try to take up jogging a few hours a week to work up your resistance, otherwise you won't last long." Yami Nagasaki suggested kindly, brushing a strand of hair out of his face. His student, a pre-teen girl with a bad case of acne, but a nice, shy smile, nodded hesitantly in agreement. She also had the problem of being unable to attack aggressively, but Yami believed in being able to defend one's self came before working on being offensive.  
  
His eyes skimmed over the rest of the class. There was no real age group in that particular session, small children from eight to people his age were practicing hard regardless of gender. They looked sweaty and tired. Strangely content however.  
  
Making his way to the other side of the room, Yami hit the small, ornate bell. A tinkling sound flooded the room, fading into deeper, somber tones. His students paused their various activities and bowed to their partners, thanking them. Yami watched them all with a bland, calm face, despite feeling a faint tinge of pride.  
"This lesson is over. Until our next meeting." Bowing swiftly with a kind of direct grace, he stuck around for a couple more minutes, speaking to those he wanted to point out certain things to. When the dojo was finally quiet, Yami was the only one left.  
  
It was rather lonely.  
  
"Class is over?"  
  
"Class is over." Yami confirmed, turning to face the young woman standing at the doorway.  
  
"I take it they were good."  
  
Yami managed a raised eyebrow, faux indignation spreading over his features.  
  
"My students are always good."  
  
"Sure they are." Sayeka Onori intoned dryly, crossing her arms.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
"Taking a break from packing," She answered with a weary sigh, and then rolled her eyes. "No, no, I just don't want to take a lot of things, so it's taking me a while to choose what is it that I really want to take."  
  
"How did you ever survive a year abroad?" Yami wondered, amazed.   
  
"Oh, do shut up."  
  
"You're only going to Domino," He pointed out, walking past her. Stubbornly, she followed.  
  
"I'm only going to Domino. If it was that close by, you'd visit Yugi every day," She protested. "Well, not that you don't try. When was the last time anyway? Three weeks ago?"  
  
"Two. I stayed for the weekend." He answered distractedly, stepping out into a marvelous summer day. He breathed deeply, enjoying the clean air.  
  
"You coming this weekend?"  
  
"I'll try."  
  
"Right, right. I'll tell him you're coming then." Sayeka decided, and vanished into the main house. Probably to check on the senior Nagasaki.  
  
Yami rolled his eyes. She was really annoying at times. He wouldn't mind taking a trip to visit Yugi. In fact, he never minded at all. But between his students, and his grandfather's fading health, it was getting harder and harder to get some time.  
  
A bit wistfully, he gazed over the field of wild wheat, remembering his brief senior year spent at Araga High School. It'd been fun, more so than he ever would have guessed. But that was a long time ago. He wasn't seventeen anymore, he was twenty.  
  
He glanced back at the house, pressing his lips into a firm line. And he had a family responsibility to answer for.  
  
*~*~*~*~  
  
"Work again?"  
  
"Sometimes," Seto Kaiba commented slowly. "It seems like it never stops."  
  
Mokuba nodded, hands thrust casually into his jean pockets.  
  
"You should take a vacation."  
  
"And leave who in charge?"  
  
Mokuba grinned.  
  
"Well, as much fun I'm sure I'd have ordering around scared secretaries and assistants, I'm not in the running. But hey, I'm sure they're all competent enough to keep things flowing smoothly for a couple days."  
  
Seto rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to will the headache away.  
  
"Obviously, you don't know who I have to work with."  
  
"Then fire them and hire smart people." Mokuba replied lightly. "Isn't it obvious?"  
  
"Smart people don't seem to exist in this world anymore."  
  
"... Point."  
  
"The smart ones are trying to take over the company in any case; I can't leave it in their hands." Seto dismissed, turning off his laptop. "Not to mention I'm busy enough with college."  
  
"As if you ever went." Mokuba laughed, then held his hands up. "Don't look at me like that; I know first hand how hard you work. But have you ever even attended one course at Hitomi Academy? I mean. Physically. Not just online courses."  
  
"Of course not," Seto retorted, looking appalled. "It's hard enough to keep track of the online courses. And I'm majoring in business for god's sake. I could teach the -class-!"  
  
"I think," His little brother began, "that the girls would be too busy giggling -about- you to pay any attention -to- you."  
  
"I can't decide if that's a compliment or not."  
  
"It is." Mokuba assured him, leaning on the polished mahogany desk. "But really. You're going to find a gray hair one of these days if you don't take some time off."  
  
Seto blinked, and stared at his brother suspiciously.  
  
"What are you up to?"  
  
"Me?" Mokuba withdrew, looking hurt. "I'm not up to anything!"  
  
"..."  
  
Mokuba smiled sweetly.  
  
"Well... there is this party..."  
  
"Absolutely not."  
  
A swift eye roll. "Hear me out first, will you?"  
  
"Three seconds."  
  
"Yugi and Jou's room. Anzu and Ryou are coming. Pizza galore."  
  
"Jou?" Seto looked startled.  
  
"Uh. Yeah. Your boyfriend? He just moved into his dorm today. Remember?" Mokuba tried to nudge his memory to see what came up. He was a little unprepared by the swift, explicit stream of curses that exploded.  
  
*~*~*~*~  
  
"So he forgot?"  
  
"Obviously." Jou groaned, snatching up a slice of pizza from the toasty warm box.  
  
"It's okay though. He just promised to help me move, not missed our wedding day!" He tried to sound cheerful, and succeeded remarkably well. Point one for the directing major with a minor in drama.   
  
"None of us have seen him at all lately, and Mokuba lives with the guy." He rolled his eyes slightly. "He's digging himself into an early grave. Does it count as passive suicide?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Jou looked at Ryou.  
  
"I was kidding."  
  
Ryou blinked. And then smiled sheepishly, tilting his head to hide his gaze under a feathery fringe.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"Someone has been studying," Anzu beamed. "That's very good! I've been practicing too. I hear the first play of the year will be CATS. Which means it's right up my alley." She announced, obviously overjoyed... then bit hungrily into her pizza.  
  
"Uhm, Jou? I don't mean to be rude but..."   
  
Yugi smiled wryly.  
  
"We haven't found our knives and forks yet," He explained to Ryou. "Actually, I think we lost the box somewhere."  
  
"What? Eating pizza with your hands isn't good enough?" Jou raised an eyebrow. "Pizza is MEANT to be eaten with the hands. It's like... unholy to not eat with your hands."  
  
"Yes. Unholy according to the visionary, Jounochi Katsuya," Anzu teased, teasing the crust off.  
  
"Totally."  
  
"What else does the famous visionary claim?" Ryou joked, trying to hide a yawn.  
  
"Late night?" Yugi asked sympathetically. His pale friend nodded absently.  
  
"Too much studying, that's what it is!" Jou decided, thumping his fist against the floor.  
  
The people in the dorm below thumped right back.  
  
The four friends exchanged startled glances, and then burst into disbelieving laughter.  
  
*~*~*~*~  
  
"What are you going to tell him?"  
  
"The truth." Seto sighed, gripping the wheel. The engine purred seductively, eating the ground fast.  
  
His brother nodded approvingly.  
  
"By the way, do I get money for reminding you?"  
  
Seto rolled his eyes.  
  
"No."  
  
"Damn."  
  
"Don't curse."  
  
"Nyah."  
  
"Don't make unintelligent noises either."  
  
"Just because you're in a bad mood doesn't mean you have to take it out on me," Mokuba pointed out in a matter of fact tone. "I don't think Jou will be really angry at you. As long as you don't start insulting him."  
  
"I haven't done that since-"  
  
"Since you got into that fight two months ago."  
  
"It was a fight." Seto replied evenly. "An actual fight."  
  
Mokuba opened, then closed his mouth, deciding against saying anything else on that particular thread of conversation.  
  
"I hope they have pizza left."  
  
*~*~*~  
  


"Which dorm did you get?"  
"Kaede Hall. It's mostly a girl's building." Anzu replied, setting her chin on her hands. "I don't officially have a room mate yet, but it's pretty much stated that I'm going to get one eventually. Probably before school starts in two days."  
"Here's to hoping she's not a serial killer," Jou mocked, raising his glass of bubbling Pepsi.  
Anzu looked at Yugi. "How will you stand living with him?"  
"He's really not too bad when he's asleep," Yugi assured her.  
Jou choked, and glared at his friends out of watery eyes.  
"I resent that."  
"Be nice." Ryou flipped through the magazine, almost lazily.   
"Studying too much is bad for you." Jou pointed out, turning serious.  
Ryou looked up, startled, and laughed in a self conscious manner.  
"I promise I won't touch a book until school starts," He avowed. "Sounds good?"  
"Sounds great."  
"See? Now you've corrupted him again." The brown haired girl shook her head. "Have you met anyone else?"  
"Well, our neighbors seem nice," Yugi offered after a brief pause.  
"If you like Satanists, that is." Jou sweetly threw in his two cents.  
Yugi cringed, and tried to smile brightly anyway.  
"They're nice. Nobody else has really looked in... our dorm president seems very busy."  
"He's probably regretting he ever took the job."  
"Orientation day seems very disorganized to me." Ryou confessed. "I don't think it's a very good system."  
"But at least we have our little home." Jou commented, beaming at the messy room. The walls were bare, but various items lay over the floor, tables and beds in wild disarray.  
"In any case, it's worth it. I love my family and all, but I need a liiiiiitle space." The brunette finished, using a hair band to tie his long hair back. It kept getting into his eyes, and it was beginning to become quite annoying.  
"Living at home is nice too." Ryou pointed out. "There's a lot more space."  
"But privacy might as well not exist, when your parents want to know everything-and everyone-that you do." Jou groaned, scratching his neck. The hickey from a week ago was barely visible, but his parents somehow had noticed it.  
"Not that Yugi has to worry about it or anything. At least, not until Yami visits." Jou remarked, smirking evilly.  
"Jou!"  
Yugi's three friends watched with interest as he turned varying degrees of crimson, each darker than the last.  
"It's not-" He stuttered, and gave up.  
"You're all perverts."  
"Of the highest class and pedigree!" Jounochi assured him haughtily.

Yugi was still flushed when someone knocked at the door, and Ryou, being the closest one, went to open it.  
Jou turned around idly, having been lying down on his stomach and looked at the two people standing on the door way, before fixing a centered gaze on the taller one particularly.  
"Kaiba."

*~*~*~

End Chapter 1  
*~*~*~  
  
Erk, not much happened in this chapter. =3 Sorry! Next chapter! In the years that have passed, are Seto and Jou behaving any better? Yugi begins to find out what it feels like to be alone while surrounded by friends.

Reviews and the such welcome! Flames… are just ignored.  
  



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